Bowood, Calne, England

Site is open to the public. Opening may be limited, please check Visitor Information for any restrictions.

Brief description of site

Bowood is an 18th-century landscape park and woodland of some 36 hectares, with a 19th-century terraced garden. There is also a separate 19th- and 20th-century rhododendron woodland of 20 hectares, set within a larger park, woodland and agricultural land of some 500 hectares.

Brief history of site

The first Earl of Shelburne purchased Bowood in 1754 and completed the house started in the early 18th century. An early 18th-century park is recorded in a contemporary painting and maps. In 1755-60 the first Earl commissioned the architect Henry Keene to enlarge the house and in 1757 he asked Lancelot Brown to give advice on a landscape garden to complement the new house. Robert Adam made alterations to the house in the 1760s and also designed a mausoleum in the park. Robert Smirke constructed an upper terrace outside Robert Adam's mid-18th-century orangery, which connected the pavilions of the main house. Later, in 1848, the third Marquess introduced a large pinetum.

Location information:

OS Landranger Map Sheet Number:	173	Grid Ref:	ST974699
Latitude:	51.4281	Longitude:	-2.038787

Key information:

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